Schmidt gets through 'a bit of a grind' to lift Yankees in G1

CLEVELAND -- With Friday’s rainout creating a doubleheader on Saturday, there was a bit of added pressure on Clarke Schmidt to give the Yankees some length in Game 1.

The 28-year-old starter answered the call, as he allowed three hits and two runs (one earned) over five-plus innings in the Yankees’ 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of the twin bill at Progressive Field.

Juan Soto's three-run home run propelled New York to an 8-2 victory in the second game.

“I thought he was pretty good,” manager Aaron Boone said of Schmidt between games. “He got a lot of swing and miss from guys you don’t usually see swing and miss from, which I think was a testament to his stuff.”

Those innings didn’t come easy, however, as Schmidt walked a career-high five, including two with one out in the fifth. But after a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, Schmidt was able to lock in and get Brayan Rocchio to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, which got a fist pump from Schmidt as he walked off the field.

Though Schmidt set a career high in walks, he also had seven strikeouts, which was one away from tying his career most.

“Obviously, I’m not known for walking guys,” Schmidt said. “There are some walks you’re OK with. … Glad we were able to get a ground ball there. It was a good outing, it was just a bit of a grind.”

Schmidt started the sixth but was pulled for Caleb Ferguson after allowing hits to Steven Kwan and Andrés Giménez. Ferguson struck out José Ramírez and appeared to have gotten Tyler Freeman to hit into an inning-ending double play, but Gleyber Torres’ relay to first ended up in the camera well, which allowed two runs to score.

“I don’t feel like [Torres] rushed or anything,” Boone said. “He had a clear path to it, you just need to make the throw.”

After that, Ian Hamilton (two innings) and Clay Holmes (one) closed the door on Cleveland to secure the win.

It looked as if Holmes had served up a game-tying home run to Ramón Laureano in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Laureano ended up settling for a double after the wind kept the ball in the park.

“April in Cleveland helped us out there a little bit,” Boone said with a chuckle.

After striking out Bo Naylor, Holmes got to a full count on former Yankee Estevan Florial and recorded a called third strike on a slider that appeared to be off the plate but was framed perfectly by Jose Trevino.

“It was a close pitch,” Trevino said. “That’s my job, to try to get as many strikes as I can. I thought it was close. I want to get as many strikes as possible every single time.”

The save was Holmes’ 50th of his career. He’s 6-for-7 on saves this season.

“That was a good win to hang on to,” Holmes said. “I enjoy being with this team and winning with this team. When I think of [50 career saves], that’s kind of what it reminds me of.”

Most of the Yankees’ offense came from Oswaldo Cabrera, who poked a two-run home run to right field off Nick Sandlin in the sixth inning that snuck over Will Brennan’s outstretched hand. The homer had an expected batting average of .160, and it would have been a home run in just six of 30 Major League parks.

“He’s always ready and prepared,” Boone said. “He had some good at-bats today. Just another nice job by him in a winning cause.”

The home run, which set off a “Let’s go Yankees” chant that reverberated through the stadium, bumped Cabrera’s regular-season batting average at Progressive Field to .400 (4-for-10) -- a span that doesn’t include his home run against the Guardians in the 2022 American League Division Series.

“I’ve been working in the cage to try to be ready,” Cabrera said.

After Cabrera hadn’t played for six days, the Yankees are hoping his homer jump-starts a hot streak. He’ll likely get everyday playing time at third after Jon Berti was placed on the injured list between games.

“We know the things [Berti] can do for us as a team, but I’ve been working just to be ready,” Cabrera said.